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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: capital · mine · face · fine · rest · pitcher · lean · craft

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — money
  3. fine — high quality
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. rest — a break
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. mine — for digging
  9. craft — a skill
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. lean — to bend
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — what's left
  16. face — to confront
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. capital — a city
  19. face — part of the head
  20. lean — thin
  21. craft — boats
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. face — to point toward

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com